


The Potter Thing

by writeitininkorinblood



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Anxiety, Coming Out, Draco is a great father in case you were wondering, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-12
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-09-16 22:47:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9292901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writeitininkorinblood/pseuds/writeitininkorinblood
Summary: Scorpius knows he has to come out to his father eventually. It wasn’t the male thing Scorpius thought his father would be mad about, it was the Albus Potter thing. The /Potter/ thing in particular.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Draco is a pretty great father in Cursed Child so here, have him being nice to Scorpius about Albus.
> 
> Dialogue heavy so sorry about that but it's hardly an action scene

It wasn’t the male thing Scorpius thought his father would be mad about, it was the Albus Potter thing. The _Potter_ thing in particular. When he’d said Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy hadn’t gotten on, he had been understating the situation to record-breaking extremes. Or maybe he’d be mad about the male thing as well, but Scorpius was certain dating the son of his old enemy would be higher on the list of disappointments for his father than dating another boy would be.

It probably would have made more sense to work incrementally: first introduce the liking guys part and then later the Albus part, but they were running out of time. It was Christmas holidays of their seventh year at Hogwarts and Scorpius wanted nothing more than to make a home with Albus when they graduated, which was going to need explaining one way or another. And if they didn’t go with the truth then Scorpius was certain his father would start talk of which eligible girl he was going to marry and there was only so long he could keep up the pretence of being even vaguely interested. So he had to at least come out, and he was pretty sure the dating Albus link was obvious to see once they’d got that far. Eventually he’d decided it was just going to have to be like that muggle phrase about ripping off plasters that Albus had adopted.

 

In hindsight dinner may not have been the ideal time to break the news, but Scorpius’ nerves had been increasing exponentially from the moment he’d decided that he had to do this over the winter holidays. He was already shifting anxiously in his seat and pushing his food around his plate, his appetite lost to worry.

Draco could see that something was bothering his son. He was tempted to ask, but he knew Scorpius wouldn’t be keeping anything from him unless there was a legitimate reason. Of course sometimes that thing was ‘I’m jumping off the Hogwarts Express and going time travelling with my best friend because the daughter of Voldemort asked us to’, so on second thought maybe he should ask just to be on the safe side. Just as he was about to bring it up, Scorpius beat him to it.

“Dad, I’m dating Albus Potter,” he said, bold and sure of himself up until the moment he saw his father’s face fall. Then a mix of burning guilt took over, threatening to choke him.

“I’m sorry?” Draco spluttered. That was not what he’d been expecting Scorpius to say at all. It wasn’t exactly a shock – there was clearly something special between the two boys, but he’d never quite stayed with the train of thought long enough to follow it through to the logical end. Still, it was hardly something he expected to be blatantly announced over dinner.

Scorpius took Draco’s shock as disapproval. It was hard not to when it had been what he was expecting. He stood up quickly, not wanting to stick around to be reprimanded for something he didn’t want to stop doing.

“No, nothing. Forget it,” he mumbled, heading for the door with the intent of hiding in his room until it was time to go back to Hogwarts. He could see Albus again. Kiss him and hold him and share his bed. Not worry about if his father hated him because of it.

“Scorpius, wait,” Draco called after him. He could sense that this was an important moment and he didn’t want to lose his son over it. When Scorpius froze with his hand on the doorknob, he took it as a sign to keep talking. “I didn’t mean… That’s good. That’s great. You’re happy?” When Scorpius nodded hesitantly, still looking at the door, Draco sighed and continued. “Good. Good.”

Scorpius couldn’t help a small snort of derision. It didn’t sound like his father thought it was good, but he was at least willing to pretend so perhaps it was worth trying to talk to him about it. He turned around slowly, swallowing his fear and facing his dad.

“You’re a terrible liar,” he said, proud of himself when his voice only faltered a little.  
“No! It’s not a lie,” Draco protested, sitting down and trying to make peace. “It’s just… Potter.”

He didn’t hate Harry Potter with every fibre of his being anymore, but they were hardly best friends. And he didn’t exactly trust the Potter family to look after his son, not after everything that had happened, so he wasn’t sure how he felt about Scorpius getting so heavily involved with them. But then again it wasn’t that different from he and Albus being best friends.

Scorpius took a second to make a decision before returning to his seat at the table. He was happy to talk if his father was going to try to understand.  
“That’s what I figured. So you’d rather I was dating Yann Fredricks than Lily Potter?” he asked. He needed to know that his dad wasn’t mad that he liked boys, but he didn’t know how to phrase it. He wanted to stay away from the word ‘gay’, just in case that was what angered his father. If he didn’t use the word then maybe Draco would assume it was just a phase and tolerate it more. And it _wasn’t_ a phase, Scorpius was certain of that, but he was willing to let his father believe it for a while if it made things an easier process.

Draco just blinked, a little confused.

“I wasn’t aware I got a choice in who you chose to date,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

“You don’t,” Scorpius said firmly, before backing down and trying to sound less defensive. “I mean… It’s Albus. No one else. No… no matter what you say.” _I love him._ He didn’t say it - that was something his father could wait to hear. But he definitely meant it.

What Draco said next felt like a huge weight removed from Scorpius’ shoulders. If there wasn’t a table between them he would have hugged him.

“I respect that. He’s a nice kid. Good kid,” Draco nodded slowly.

“The more you say the word ‘good’ the less I believe you,” Scorpius said, but he was smiling. This was going a lot better than he had imagined and his fingers were itching to write to Albus.

“I’d say he’s about as similar to his father as you are to me, so if I did get to pick a Potter for you it would be him,” Draco admitted.

Scorpius grinned, trying to hide the blush on his cheeks. Until something came back to him, something that had been bothering him from the moment Albus had first kissed him. He hadn’t brought it up with his boyfriend, but he knew it was only a matter of time.

“I… I know I can’t stay with him forever. We can’t… I mean I’m supposed to continue the Malfoy line and that’s… that’s fine.” It wasn’t fine, but Scorpius carried on anyway. “I’m happy to have now with him. And then one day I’ll get married to some pure blood girl you approve of. What is it Grandad says? ‘Pure blood and glory.’ Just give me now. For a little longer,” he pleaded, trying not to think about what happened after the time he got was up. He just wanted Albus, but he knew he had to be realistic. Being the last of the Malfoy line didn’t come without responsibilities.

Draco stared at his son like he was suddenly speaking a foreign language. He was aware that Lucius Malfoy, despite rescinding his allegiance to Voldemort, still maintained a lot of old-fashioned ideals about what the Malfoy family was and should be, but he had no idea that he’d been sharing those opinions with Scorpius. He made a mental note to send a Howler to his father, because no one should be able to make his son think that his future wasn’t his to choose, but first he had to explain.

‘Scorpius… You can’t seriously think I’d…” he began, horrified. He had no idea how long Scorpius had thought that’s what would have to happen. “You can marry whomever you want. Be it Albus or Yann Fredricks or Lily Potter or someone who you haven’t even met yet. The Malfoy line is irrelevant. All my father’s talk of pure blood and glory is nonsense. I will never force you to go through with anything you don’t want to do. Just be happy, Scorpius, that’s all I need you to do,” he promised, wetness collecting at the corners of his eyes.

Scorpius just blinked. It took him several moments to process exactly what his father was saying but once it had sunk in he gasped and covered his mouth with both hands, trying to stop them shaking as he did. It was such a simple thing for Draco to say, but it meant the world. He didn’t have to give up Albus. _Ever._ And he didn’t have to pretend to be someone he wasn’t just to appease some relatives. His dad was giving him permission to be happy for his entire life and it was so overwhelming that he felt giddy. Draco just watched with mild amusement as Scorpius attempted to supress uncontrollable giggles.

“I’ll remind you of that when Albus proposes,” Scorpius laughed, before some common sense came back to him and he hastened to backtrack. They weren’t that serious yet. “I mean… If. Maybe.” It was something he wanted, eventually. Especially now it was something he was actually allowed. He thought about taking Albus back to Malfoy Manor and introducing him formally as his boyfriend. About moving in with him and making a home, and a family of their own. It left a dopey smile on his face and it had Draco appraising him suspiciously.

“You’re not engaged, right?” He checked, worried he’d missed something. “Oh Merlin, you haven’t eloped, have you?”

Scorpius let out a yelp of surprise. He wasn’t going to get married before he graduated, even if it was to Albus.

“ _No._ Just… wishful thinking maybe. For far, far in the future,” he explained, biting his lip and looking away. He wasn’t willing to admit to how much he was a fan of the idea quite yet but if he truly was allowed to marry whoever he wanted then, if Albus wanted him too, he was almost certainly going to end up married to a Potter. But his father hadn’t sounded too overjoyed about the concept so Scorpius wasn’t convinced. “So you’re not as happy about the idea of me potentially marrying Albus as you pretend to be,” he pointed out, shrugging.

Draco shook his head, explaining himself carefully. If there was ever a moment where his ability to communicate with Scorpius was of the highest importance, it was now.  
“No matter who you marry, I want to be at your wedding. Don’t elope. That’s the second thing I’m going to need you to do. Have at least some form of ceremony,” he said, keeping his tone light so Scorpius couldn’t mistake it as more than Draco’s fondest wish. It wasn’t an order.

Scorpius agreed with a small nod, before shuffling awkwardly in his chair again and searching for a change of subject that seemed natural. When he didn’t find one he instead opted for a tactless request.

“Can we stop talking about marriage. It’s no where near that. We’re dating. That’s all,” he said, blushing. Yes, he wanted to marry Albus eventually, but it was a long way off and he didn’t even know if the feeling was mutual.

Draco smiled kindly and moved the conversation on. Scorpius seemed to want to talk and he was willing to listen.

“When did this all start?” he asked.

Scorpius grinned. This he could talk about gladly. There was no one left at Hogwarts who didn’t know the story of how they’d gotten together so anyone he tried to tell just rolled their eyes and told him they’d heard it all already. When Albus’ family had found out it had been Albus who had been, in his own words, cursed with having to tell them. So no one else cared about the story and Scorpius was always willing to talk about Albus because he was convinced he was the best part of his life.

“Fourth year. When everything went to hell with Delphi,” he explained, still smiling despite the memories of torture and fear. It was in the past. “People just kept saying things that made me think about Albus as more than a friend. She said he needed me. And that we belong together. I know she was evil but I think she had that one thing right. Severus Snape, too, in the other time. He said Albus was my Lily. It only takes one person. Albus was my person. Is. And then you, too. You said some stuff.”

Draco had been caught up in amusement at how enthusiastically Scorpius spoke about Albus so fast he was tripping over his words and left loose threads to his story everywhere. As soon as the last few words registered with him, he turned confused. He wasn’t sure exactly what he could have said that would endear a Potter to Scorpius.

“Me?” he asked, sceptical.

Scorpius caught up with himself and shook his head, hastening to explain.  
“The other you. Head of Magical Law Enforcement you. We talked about Mum, and you said she made being brave easy,” he said, softly. His mother still wasn’t something they talked about often so it was a subject they approached gently.  
“She did,” Draco confirmed.

He got up from his seat and for a moment Scorpius thought that was the end of the conversation and he’d ruined everything by bringing up Astoria. But then he walked round the table and sat beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing reassuringly for a moment. This felt like a personal conversation that shouldn’t be had across a table. If Scorpius had found the person he felt he valued the way he knew his father had valued his mother then Draco’s understanding of his relationship with Albus was suddenly clear. Scorpius was truly serious and he was happy to support that.

Smiling sadly at his father, Scorpius continued his train of thought.

“Albus does. For me. When Delphi tortured me, he kept me brave.” His voice was reduced to a whisper. “I could have died easily knowing I was facing it with him. Not that I want Albus dead, at all, I just… Yeah. He makes me brave. I couldn’t have survived Godric’s Hollow back then without him. Course I wouldn’t have been there without him either, but possibly best to ignore that part. I mean it’s not like he knew she-”

“You’re rambling,” Draco interrupted kindly. If Scorpius was going to talk about Albus that was fine, but it would probably be best if there was a point to it.

Scorpius bit his tongue, ducking his head and smiling to himself.

“Sorry. I like talking about him,” he admitted. “I missed him so much. In that first time, when Mr Potter made him stay away from me. And when he didn’t even exist... It was awful. I knew when I got back that I never wanted to leave him again.”

Scorpius wrapped his arms around himself and hugged tightly, pretending it was Albus holding him close. Draco sensed that he needed something and awkwardly patted his shoulder. It wasn’t much but he didn’t know what else to offer and for Scorpius it was enough.  
“But you were willing to give him up and marry a girl for the sake of the Malfoy line?” Draco asked. It was bothering him; why wouldn’t he just defy what he thought was expected of him and refuse to marry a woman he didn’t love.

Scorpius winced. It would never have been easy; he knew he would have pined and cried and been miserable, but it was what he’d been convinced he would have to do. If he was honest with himself, he had envisaged sneaking out of bed and spending each night with Albus instead of the girl chosen for him. Because whilst he could bite his tongue and tolerate a wife, she’d never be Albus and he was never as happy as he was when he was lying in Albus’ arms. Keeping that pretence up would have been messy and draining, but he loved Albus too much to stay away.  
“I know honour is important to you,” Scorpius tried to explain. He’d been so convinced of obligations and duties and things he had to do as the only Malfoy heir. It wasn’t natural to him to disobey his father, to go against his wishes when they were both still hurting from Astoria’s death. He wanted to make him proud. He just also wanted to spend his life with the person who made mornings worth facing and the nights too short.

“You are important to me. Your happiness,” Draco insisted.

“I don’t think I would have ever been faithful to a wife,” Scorpius explained, before realising exactly who he was talking to and amending his statement. “Emotionally, I mean,” he stammered.

Draco raised an eyebrow, aware that wasn’t all his son had meant. From the blush on his cheeks Scorpius was thinking of the other ways he’d be unsatisfied by a match to a woman, but it wasn’t anything either of them wanted to dwell on in present company. Scorpius wanted to keep his and Albus’ private life to themselves, and Draco had no desire to pry.

“I would have done it, but I would never have been happy,” Scorpius mumbled, his head bowed.

He couldn’t look his father in the eye; admitting flaws to him still made Scorpius feel weak. Not that loving Albus was a flaw, but confessing that he would have so readily cheated on a wife made his skin crawl. This hypothetical girl didn’t deserve to be treated badly just because he couldn’t love her, but he and Albus didn’t deserve to be forced apart for the sake of a status marriage and an heir. The situation was playing itself round and round in Scorpius’ head, even after what Draco had already said, and his hands were starting to tremble from anxiety. No one was happy. No one got what they wanted.

Draco could tell Scorpius was struggling to let go of the future he’d resigned himself too, and it seemed to be tearing him apart. Slowly, not wanting to spook his son, he took Scorpius’ hands in his and held them still.

“You don’t have to do it, Scorpius. It’s alright. I should always have made it more clear: I will never have a say in who you spend your life with. Even if you weren’t… gay?” he asked, not wanting to presume which label his son wanted to use. When Scorpius nodded, sniffling a little, Draco continued with an accepting smile. “Even if you weren’t gay, I wouldn’t have made you marry a woman you didn’t love. That tradition in our family ended with me. I had to defy my father to be with your mother and I would never have put you in the same position. So when you think of the future, think of Albus, if he’s what you want. You won’t be hurting anyone if that’s what you chose.”

Scorpius could tell his dad meant the words and that went some way to calm him, but he wasn’t ready to just accept it would be that easy. Not everyone was going to just accept that the Malfoy line was over and that the last member of it was so incredibly gay.

“The papers… You know what they’ll say. ‘Harry Potter’s son dating the son of a Death Eater’,” Scorpius said bitterly. When Draco flinched he realised his words were a little cruel.  The past was a sore spot but it was too easy to forget just how real it all was to his father when they read about it in text books back at school. “Sorry! I'm sorry… That’s not what I meant. I mean it’s not what I think, but you know it’s what they’ll say if this gets out. Do you really want that?” he asked, not wanting to be the reason Draco got dragged into the headlines against his will.

Draco didn’t answer at first. It wasn't himself he was worried about in this hypothetical situation.

“Can _you_ handle it?” he asked carefully.

Scorpius nodded, sure of himself. It was something he’d been considering for a while.  
“Yes. Albus too. We’ve talked about it,” he explained.  
“Well then I can handle it too,” Draco promised. “As long as you’re happy and safe I’ll put up with whatever rubbish they want to publish.” _Even if it’s so you can be with a Potter,_ he didn’t add. He was fine with it. Really. It just took a little getting used to.

“There will never be another Malfoy heir,” Scorpius said. He realised his phrasing was wrong as soon as the sentence left his mouth.

“That doesn’t-” Draco began, before Scorpius cut him off with a reworded explanation.

“You’ll never be a grandfather.”

Draco nodded slowly, unsure how to respond. He’d always liked the idea of grandchildren, and he hadn’t quite considered that Scorpius being gay meant there wouldn’t be any tiny feet running down the halls of Malfoy Manor. But Scorpius’ happiness was still more important.  
“Do you want children, Scorpius?” he asked, without saying anything else.

The question wasn’t really what Scorpius had been expecting but he answered it honestly, giving it the first consideration he ever really had.

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, after a long pause. “I think so. Eventually.”  
“If you have children, they will be my grandkids and I will love them whether they are biologically related to me or not. If you don’t have children, then I have a wonderful son who is more than enough,” Draco smiled. Then he nodded his head in acknowledgment and added “and maybe a son-in-law as well. Even if he is a Potter.”

Scorpius laughed. He had no idea how this was going this well but it was beyond anything he had hoped for.

“What if I become a Potter?” he suggested, teasing. He’d considered it, in the daydreams he hadn’t shared with anyone. Scorpius Potter. It sounded nice, he could definitely get used to it.

Draco just snorted.  
“I draw the line there. At least hyphenate,” he said, pretending to be stern.

It was obvious his father was joking, but Scorpius let his mind wander to the possibility anyway. Scorpius Malfoy-Potter. He could live with that. In fact, that sounded perfect. He smiled and slumped back in his chair.

“When I tell Al about this I’m going to leave out the majority of the weddings and babies talk. I think it might scare him away,” he sighed, trying not to giggle.

Draco tilted his head in confusion. He vividly remembered Scorpius age eleven going on and on about an eleven-year-old Albus Potter and telling him how he hated the nickname ‘Al’. It had been a fact included somewhere between ‘he’s in Slytherin, I can’t believe he’s in Slytherin’ and ‘he has these really pretty eyes’. Really Draco should have seen this whole thing coming earlier.

“Al? I thought he hated that?” Draco asked.

Scorpius would have blushed again if his cheeks had yet returned to their normal colour after everything that had already happened.  
“He did. He does, actually. Unless… well, unless it’s me,” he smiled fondly. Al was a name for sleepy evenings and gentle kisses in front of the Slytherin common room fire when no one was paying attention to them.

“So that’s not how I should address him when he comes to ask for permission to propose to you?” Draco asked, mock serious but hiding an amused smirk.  
“Dad! He’s not going to ask,” Scorpius said, rolling his eyes but secretly thrilled that he was being teased about it and not disowned.  
“He better. He’s marrying my only son,” Draco laughed.  
“I’ll be sure to let him know,” Scorpius said, before realising what he’d just agreed to and jumping in his seat. “Wait, no! We’re not getting married. Merlin,” he groaned, burying his face in his hands.

But they would. Eventually. Scorpius knew it, somewhere in his heart. And Draco would be there and there’d be an announcement in the papers and some people would be angry but there wasn’t a lot they could do about two men in love.


End file.
